The pharmaceutical contract packing sector now has a new name to conjure with following the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, of M.Y. Healthcare Contract Packing Division, part of Nampak, by a consortium headed by former divisional director Graham Clark.
The purchase, which includes all machinery and equipment, will “provide a focused and specialist contract packing business for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors”, something Clark believes was not possible as a non-core part of a large general packaging group. Clark, managing director of the newly named Central Pharma, says the company will retain all its 60 staff, while a £3m investment programme is planned, including a move to a new 40,000 sq ft facility nearby and “new technology”. In the meantime the business will continue operating from Bedford.
“The move will invigorate growth and establish the business as a force in contract packing,” says Clark. Central Pharma’s current facilities include blister packing, tub filling, liquid filling, anaesthetic filling, strip packing, cartooning and flow wrapping. The firm says “potential partnerships with major players” will require “vastly increased capacities”, with the planned new equipment set to enhance operational effectiveness and service levels.
The acquisition and investment has, the company says, been driven by the growing trend towards outsourcing by the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Clark adds: “The outsourcing sector is in rude health and the expansion will allow us to cater for the considerably higher volumes being predicted by our customers due to both market expansion and legislative changes.”
